Wr Difton Turning Heads At Uconn

Freshman Out Of St. Thomas Pushing For A Starting Role

August 19, 2009|By Desmond Conner Hartford Courant

STORRS, Conn. — When asked if freshman wide receiver Dwayne Difton has a good shot to start in the season opener Sept. 5 at Ohio University, Connecticut coach Randy Edsall wasn't able to give a definitive answer, but it doesn't sound like one is far away.

"Could, yeah," Edsall said. "Could, yeah. ... Yes, he could."

That's as close to affirmative as one can get with Edsall on the subject, but the 5-foot-11, 175-pound Difton, one of the most celebrated recruits to come to UConn in Edsall's 11 seasons, has been impressive.

Difton, who is from Fort Lauderdale, caught 25 passes for 414 yards and five TDs for 2008 5A state champion St. Thomas Aquinas, the top-ranked team in the country. He has yet to disappoint in camp so far. His only issue is experience. But speed, catching the ball, making plays, a combination UConn has been screaming for at the position, is all wrapped up in the somewhat diminutive Difton.

The Huskies have only had one receiver (D.J. Hernandez against North Carolina last season) with a 100-yard game in the last five years.

"We're working hard, everybody is competing and we're working hard doing what we have to do for the offense," Difton said.

"We know we have to catch the ball. We know that if we drop the ball ... they were doing that last year, dropping the ball. Now we have to start over from scratch. We have to work hard, run routes, read defenses and at the same time get better."

Difton, who originally committed to South Florida, possesses the skill and ability to get the job done as well as elevate the play of the receivers as a group.

He benefited from playing for St. Thomas, where he was a teammate of Duron Carter, son of former NFL star Cris Carter. Duron Carter is a freshman receiver at Ohio State.

Difton has stood out in camp not only with his play, but also with his jersey number - 1. It was his high school number, but at UConn it belonged to cornerback Darius Butler, who was a second-round pick by the New England Patriots in April.

"I think that says a lot," Edsall said. "We've said it as coaches. You see the No. 1 jersey out there and we're thinking of Darius out there. And that's the way Darius was. He always wanted to go against the best guy and that's just Dwayne's mentality."

Case in point: Difton has sought out the best cornerback on the team, Jasper Howard, and looks to compete against him often.

"He knows he wants to be the best he can be so he goes against the best corner that we have as much as he can," Edsall said.

Will he be a two-way player, like Butler, sliding over to defense at some point?

"Oh no, I'm going to stay on the wide receiver side so I can make plays," Difton said.

His hands are sure; his routes even more so. He's confident and he's showing his teammates some of the things he's learned but he's also learning from them and the coaches.

"I've been listening to the receivers a lot and they've helped me," Difton said. "But at the same time, I have been coached by Cris Carter. So, I'm listening to Coach Sos [UConn receivers coach Matt Cersosimo] and Cris Carter at the same time and I'm learning from both of them. I'm putting it all together to become a better receiver."

Difton has caught the ball consistently throughout camp.

It seems like a simple exercise for him. It should be for any receiver but sometimes it's easier said than done.

"Look the ball, look it in," he said. "Once the ball comes, you look it in and tuck, and you look down when you tuck it. Don't fight the ball, just relax and catch the ball."

The chances of him being the top receiver on the depth chart Sept. 5 and beyond are pretty good.

Colorado, Minnesota, Purdue and Rutgers offered Difton scholarships after he decided not to go to USF. On Feb. 3, he said, Tennessee was at his house, after he already committed to the Huskies. His commitment was solid.

Even if meant leaving sunny Florida.

"A lot of teams needed 'O' but I wanted to come here because they really wanted me and I wanted to help. I heard about the cold. I never played in the cold. Guess I got to get some jackets and stuff."